Canyons School District's back-to-school registration opens Monday, August 3, at 8:30 a.m. via the Skyward Qmlativ portal. With Utah's measles outbreak past 700 confirmed cases and still spreading, Salt Lake County pediatricians say families should verify their children's vaccination records before that deadline arrives.

Utah law requires two doses of the MMR vaccine for all students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Families can check their child's immunization records through the Docket mobile app or at immunize.utah.gov. The Utah Immunization hotline is 1-800-275-0659.

What the outbreak looks like

Utah's measles outbreak has sickened more than 700 people since it began in June 2025, according to the state health department. As of late July 2026, the CDC had recorded 522 confirmed Utah cases for the calendar year, per an Axios report published Saturday, July 25. Nationally, 2,318 cases have been confirmed in 2026, a 35-year high. The U.S. no longer meets the main criterion for measles elimination status for the first time in 25 years.

Of the 49 Utah patients hospitalized with measles complications, nearly 60% were children, according to a report in NEJM Evidence. Of those 49, all but five were unvaccinated. More than one in four developed pneumonia.

What local doctors are seeing

Six Utah pediatricians described treating these children in interviews published Monday, July 27, by KFF Health News.

"When children come in, they're often bent over. We call it tripoding," said Emilie Morris, a hospital pediatrician practicing in Salt Lake County and Utah County. "The kid is hunched over, mouth open, drooling, crying, maybe not even producing tears, because they're so dehydrated. Really labored breathing, kind of tugging in their belly, tugging between their ribs."

Nathan Money, a hospital pediatrician in Salt Lake County and Utah County, said unvaccinated children who arrive with fevers require more aggressive testing, including blood work and lumbar punctures, because doctors cannot rule out sepsis or meningitis without them. Trahern W. Jones, a pediatric infectious disease specialist in Salt Lake City, described one child coughing so hard the boy couldn't sleep. The parents told Jones they had delayed vaccines after hearing about a reaction from someone they knew.

None of Utah's measles patients have died. Nationally, three people have died and at least three suffered brain swelling with lingering symptoms.

Vaccination gaps in Utah schools

In the 2024-25 school year, about 11% of Utah kindergartners had exemptions or were missing documentation showing they were vaccinated against measles, up from about 7% in prior years, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Communities need above 95% vaccination coverage to prevent measles from spreading freely. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective, according to the AAP.

What Canyons District families need to do

All students, new and returning, must complete online registration before the first day of school on Monday, August 17. Families needing help can contact their school or the CSD Help Desk at 801-826-5544.

Utah allows medical, religious, and personal exemptions from school vaccination requirements. Parents claiming a non-medical exemption must complete an online education module at immunize.utah.gov or attend an in-person consultation at a local health department.

The Salt Lake County Health Department offers immunization appointments Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Families can call 385-468-SHOT (385-468-7468) to schedule. The Vaccines for Children program provides shots at low or no cost for uninsured children 18 and under.

Ellie Brownstein, a Salt Lake County pediatrician and president-elect of the Utah chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told KFF Health News she spends extra time explaining the science behind the vaccine schedule to hesitant families rather than turning them away. "If I kick them out of my practice," she said, "that ends any future discussion."